Scarred
by bookworm909
Summary: An after Tartarus story, about Percy and Annabeth arriving home and the road to their recovery. (Also includes a little bit about the war between CHB and Camp Jupiter)
1. Chapter 1

PAUL

A loud banging came from the door at around 11 o'clock on a Thursday night. I exchanged a look with Sally, who was partially passed out on the couch. She shrugged. I glanced nervously at the door once before getting up with a loud sigh to go answer it.

"Who is it?" I called out as I walked down the hallway.

"Uh, it's Piper McLean. I'm a friend of Percy's." My heart pounded faster and faster with each step I took.

_Percy. _Not my real son, but it sure felt like it this year when the thought of him getting hurt sent pangs of worry through my body. I opened the door. A dark skinned girl, with short chocolate brown hair leaned against the door, with her arms crossed impatiently across her chest. She quickly stood up when she saw me and offered her hand.

"You must be Mr. Blowfis. Percy has talked about you a lot," Piper said, her short, uneven braids swaying as she talked.

"How is Percy? Is he, you know?"

"Percy and Annabeth are both fine, well as fine as they can be considering," she trailed off.

"Tartarus," I finished. "Chiron IM'ed us to let us know a little while ago. Where is Percy? I'm sure Sally needs to see him."

"That's why I am here actually. Could you get Sally for me?"

"Sure," I said, turning around to go get her. Just as I started walking, Sally turned the corner.

"Paul," she asked. "Who's here?"

"It's Piper. She's a friend of Percy's." I took Sally's hand and held it tight. All the color seemed to drain from her face.

"Oh my, Percy's okay though, right?"

Piper nodded. "Percy and Annabeth are both asleep in the ship. Although they got out, it wasn't without a price. They are both pretty beat up, both physically and emotionally so we didn't want to drag them into another battle. There's a war going on at Camp," she quickly explained. "I just wanted to warn you before we brought them up that the nightmares are pretty rough, and they don't look to hot."

"Yes, of course," Sally whispered. Her eyes were so full of joy and hope for the first time in months.

Piper nodded, biting her lip. She looked like she wanted to say more but just left with a quick, "Be right back."

Percy and Annabeth stumbled in, half asleep five minutes later. They leaned heavily on the shoulders of six other kids including Piper, who were all presumably demigods. He was so skinny I could see his ribs even through his clean clothes that hung off his body. His hair was matted and his body was covered in scars and cuts. Annabeth looked no better.

Still, the moment he walked into his home he seemed to perk up. He hid his limp as he stumbled into Sally's arms. Even though he towered a good six inches above her, he still looked small in her arms. Sally started to sob, gripping the back of Percy's head.

She held him for a few minutes, before pulling back and grabbing both sides of his face, so she could look him in the eye. "Don't you ever do that again, okay?" She pulled him into one last tight hug.

She looked over Annabeth's cuts and bruises and fussed over her. "Oh, thank the gods you're both okay."

The other demigods stood off the side. I noticed Nico among them and gave him a nod and a smile. "Look, Mrs. Jackson," said a tall blonde boy in a purple shirt. "Percy and Annabeth really need their rest right now if they are going to recover. They can fill you in on everything in the morning."

Sally looked at Percy, who didn't seem to have heard a word anyone said. He was holding Annabeth tightly in his arms and whispering in her ear quietly. I caught the words Camp Half- Blood and Camp Jupiter. The too names in the same sentence put an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

"Percy," Sally said quietly, "Why don't you and Annabeth go to your room? You can sleep in there together tonight, and I'll make up the couch for Annabeth tomorrow."

Percy hugged Annabeth to his side tighter. They were never the clingy couple, but they seemed attached at the hip tonight. Percy nodded, and Annabeth seemed relieved that they were staying together. Sally watched her little boy walk out of her sight once again and I saw a tear roll down her face. I quickly wiped it away, unsure of what to say. Even though Percy was just down the hall, I knew she hated having him out of her sight.

"He'll be okay, Mrs. Jackson," said Piper. "He has Annabeth with him, and it's already past eleven. You'll see him soon."

"You're right. I'm just being a mother bird I guess." Sally laughed. It was so nice to hear her laugh again. "I have lots of food in the kitchen, and it isn't going to eat itself, so why don't you guys all come in and sit down for a little while."

The six demigods all hesitated by the door. "Sally, we have a war to fight, we should be going."

Sally's eyes widened. "Nico!" she exclaimed. "I didn't even see you there." She gave him a huge hug. "Have you been eating enough? You're as thin as a rail! I have blue cookies in the kitchen, sit down, have a couple, and you can all crash in the living room and the guest room. You'll be no use to Camp Half-Blood if you're tired and hungry."

A short girl with wild, dark curls exchanged a glance with the other demigods. "She did say blue cookies, right?"

**Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up sometime this week :) **


	2. Chapter 2

PAUL

The six demigods crowded around the small table in the kitchen. Sally frantically rushed around, offering hot chocolate and cookies to ease their hunger and ambrosia and bandages to heal their injuries. Jason, the blonde who looked a little like superman, filled them in on everything starting with the day they arrived in New Rome.

"You see," he continued, "the problem with Tartarus is that to close the Doors of Death there has to be at least one person on both sides. The whole ride to Epirus in Greece we argued about who would stay behind. We all seemed to have our own reasons for why it should be our self."

Piper picked up the story. "When we got there we still hadn't decided yet, and, truthfully, we had bigger things on our minds. We had to rescue Percy and Annabeth and defeat the giants." My eyes drooped as she talked. Leo, the elfish boy, fiddled with his napkin, and he accidently lite it on fire. My eyes opened a little wider for a second, but I dismissed it. _Demigods._

"You can't defeat a giant without both a demigod and a god. Thankfully, many minor gods disobeyed Zeus and came to help out of personal loyalty and personal interests." Jason looked down at his plate full of blue cookies. "We lost a hero that night, though. Coach Hedge, our chaperone on the trip, pulled Percy and Annabeth out. He jumped in and shut the doors before any of us could protest. He always promised he would protect us, and he did."

A tear rolled down Hazel's cheek. "He was the most loyal faun—I mean satyr, you get the point, you would ever meet." Frank—or was it Fred?—put his arm around her.

The only sounds in the kitchen after that were the quiet sounds of chewing. Sally wiped her hands on her apron. Her makeup was smudged, and her hair was a mess. "Why don't you guys get settled in? Paul made up the sofa bed and there's a couple of chairs in there."

Jason nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mrs. Jackson. We will be out of your way tomorrow morning."

"Oh, you guys are welcome any time, okay? Now, go get some rest." The demigods walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Paul remembered the sounds of laughter he used to hear every time Percy had friends from camp over. These kids were silent as they walked.

"Wait!" Sally called after them. "Nico, can you stay back a second?" Nico turned around. His veins were dark purple against his neck, and his eyes looked like a raccoon's. He nodded.

Sally immediately pulled him in for another hug. "Thank you for watching out for my little boy," she whispered in his hair.

Nico pulled away and grimaced. "I don't think I helped much."

"He's alive, Nico. What more can we ask for?"

Paul leaned against the kitchen table and thought about a lesson he taught one day in English. The class and him pondered the difference between being alive and living. In the end, they decided they are most definitely not the same thing.

The screams started at 4 o'clock in the morning. I rubbed my bleary eyes and glanced at the clock. I nudged Sally to wake her up, but her eyes were wide open already. She stared at me through the dark, horror struck, as the screams got louder. "That's my Percy," she whispered.

We both got out of bed and rushed down the hall. The other demigods stood quietly outside of Percy's door. The door was shut, but I knew it wasn't locked because it didn't have one. "Why isn't anyone going into help," Sally asked, reaching for the door in a panic.

"We can't help, Sally," Nico said. "The nightmares have happened every night since we got them out. Annabeth will help him through it."

Sure enough, when Sally opened the door, the screaming had quieted to sobbing. Annabeth was holding Percy tightly to her and rocking him back and forth. She whispered his name over and over again, like a drug, just loud enough for us to hear. My stomach clenched to see Percy, the strongest person I know, crying like a baby.

Sally walked into the room and sat down at the edge of the bed. Percy and Annabeth both jumped, looking like deer in the headlight. "It's okay," Sally whispered. "It's just me." She reached to out to grab Percy, but he flinched back. I walked slowly into the room and put my hand on Sally's shoulder. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Percy gripped Annabeth so tight his nails left tiny half moons on her arm. His face was streaked with tears, and so was Annabeth's. Their shirts were wet with sweat. I still couldn't imagine having to hold anyone that tight just to stop crying.

"Percy, it's okay," I said. "It's all over." That just started a new round of crying. Percy buried his head in Annabeth's shoulder and sobbed. Annabeth stared at the wall with wide, red eyes not saying anything either.

I took Sally's hand and we slowly walked out of the room. The moment we shut the door, Sally collapsed against it and cried. I sat down next to her and held her in my arms, but it seemed weak compared to the way Percy and Annabeth held each other.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated **


	3. Chapter 3

SALLY

I was up and cooking a buffet of breakfast foods before the sun fully rose. Most moms wouldn't know that before sending off kids to fight in a war, they needed a hearty breakfast. Most moms didn't know that just one course wouldn't be enough for a growing demigod.

So, I got early and started cooking. If cooking for 8 normal teenagers seemed daunting, try cooking for 8 demigod teenagers. Most of who haven't eaten a proper meal in over a week.

Jason was the first to wake up. He strolled in the kitchen at 7:00 on the dot, looking refreshed and well rested, even though he couldn't have gotten more than 5 hours of sleep the night before. "You're up early," I commented.

"I have a schedule like clockwork. I used to wake up this time when I was Praetor, so my bodies used to it."

"Well," I said, flipping a pancake. "As first up you can help me cook."

"I'm not much of a cook. Really—I almost burnt down the kitchen on the Argo II. I can do dishes, though."

"That would be just lovely. Thank you, Jason."

We stood next to each other and worked in silence. I wanted to ask him about the quest. I wanted to pry for every juicy detail I wasn't offered last night, but it seemed like he didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't pry.

The other five demigods trailed in from the living room a half an hour later. Nico rubbed his sleep bleary eyes and plopped down on a chair at the table. "'Morning," he mumbled. Nico rested his head in the hands and shut his eyes.

Paul trailed in afterwards. He was a sleeper, and, truthfully, I was happy he got an extra hour of sleep. He'd been known to snap and be irritable on less than six hours.

I started serving pancakes and eggs. Piper ran a hand through her hair—which just made it stick up more—as she politely declined the bacon. Leo grabbed a piece of bread from the center of the table and started toasting it with fire coming out of his hands. Unfortunately, he was sitting a little to close to Hazel and her shirt caught on fire. She cursed at him quite loudly but didn't seem fazed by the flames burning a hole in her sleeve. She calmly doused it with a glass of water and went on with her breakfast.

Paul stared at them, with his mouth gaping like a fish's. "What? How?"

Leo twirled a knife between his fingers. He looked a little too comfortable with the knife in my opinion. Again he nearly killed Hazel, as the knife slipped from his grip and bounced off the table a quarter inch away from her fingers.

"You see, Mr. Blowfis, I am quite the legend. I can shoot fire from my fingertips and my attractive qualities render villains speechless. If I was a superhero my name would be something like 'The Blaster Master'"

"Enough, Leo," snapped Frank. "We're all sick of it." Frank went back to irritably stabbing at his eggs.

I kept glancing at Percy and Annabeth's door. It was certainly like Percy to sleep in, but I was shocked they could sleep through the racket going on in here. "I'm going to check on Percy and Annabeth. I'll be right back." Paul gave my hand one quick squeeze.

I walked down the hallway to Percy's room. I didn't hear anything until I was just a few feet away from Percy's door. I stopped to listen, justifying it by saying to myself that it's not eavesdropping if I am looking out for his wellbeing.

"We're going to be okay, Percy," I heard Annabeth whisper. "One day this will all be behind us."

"Do you remember that night in the stables?" Percy asked.

"How can I forget? That might've been the last good night I had." I tensed up. What did they do in the stables? I was being stupid worrying about things like that, but as a mom it was my job.

"Do you remember what I said about one day living in New Rome and, uh, raising a family?" The bed creaked, and I assumed Percy had shifted to hold Annabeth better. Somewhere in the back of my mind I made a mental note to buy him a bigger bed.

"Percy…" Annabeth trailed off. "New Rome is going to attack Camp Half Blood. I don't think that opportunity is open to us anymore."

"It doesn't have to be in New Rome, Annabeth. One day, do you think we can get married and have kids and just live a normal life?" Tears pooled at the corners of my eyes. My baby was growing up.

"We're never, ever going to be normal, Percy."

They stopped talking for a little while. I raised my hand and moved it to the doorknob but froze. I wanted to just listen for little while longer. For some reason, hearing them talk like this made the knot in my stomach unclenched a little bit. They almost sounded like normal teenagers.

"You know, Annabeth, I meant it every time I said it in Tartarus."

"I know, Seaweed Brain. I meant it too."

"I didn't just say it because I thought we were going to die. I love you, Annabeth, and I will never stop loving you."

"I love you too."

"Come on. Everyone else is up. We should probably get ready to go back to camp."

I quickly backed away from the door, feeling hopeful that everything would get better.

**Read and Review! Also check out my other stories! Thanks! **


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for not updating in forever! School is starting up again, but I will try my hardest to update on weekends

SALLY

I snuck back into the kitchen and was pouring Leo another glass of orange juice when Percy and Annabeth stumbled in. I really saw them for the first time since they got up. They both looked pale and gaunt, standing under the bright kitchen lights. Annabeth had a boot on her foot and Percy's whole face was one bruise.

I expected Percy to walk in and announce his presence with a joke like he had everyday since he could talk, but he just quietly took a seat at the table, never once letting go of Annabeth's hand.

"Do you guys want anything to eat?" I offered, already piling blue pancakes high on top of a plate for Percy. He didn't respond. His eyes were staring at the wall, unfocused and bleary. I gently set the plates down in front of them. They both jumped when the plates clanged against the table.

I turned towards the sink and closed my eyes tight, gripping the counter. All I could think about was him flinching away from me last night. I took two deep breaths.

"Hey, Perce, Annabeth," Jason started. "Me and the rest of the seven are going to go to Camp and try to settle things" I turned around and faced the table, as Jason continued to try and make conversation with the lost demigods.

"You guys are going to stay here and recover for a little while, and when you feel up to it you can come visit us at camp." When neither Percy nor Annabeth responded, Jason gently tapped the table with his knife to get their attention.

"Okay," Annabeth said, glancing over at Percy. He nodded once to confirm what she said.

"IM us, okay?" Jason said. "You two are strong and will be okay."

The demigods all got up, and Percy and Annabeth walked them to the door. Their eyes looked slightly less empty as they woke up more.

They all hugged. I noticed that Piper was crying slightly when she hugged Percy and Annabeth. "I love you guys so much, okay? Don't forget it."

"I love you too," Percy mumbled in her hair, and Annabeth squeezed her tight.

Piper wiped her eyes and smiled sadly at Annabeth. "Come back to camp soon, promise? I'm gonna miss not having anyone's breakfast to steal."

Annabeth and Percy looked more alive each minute that passed with their friends, and I smiled from where I leaned against the wall, watching.

Leo and Frank gave Percy a big hug. They all seemed to know exatally where to touch the demigods, to avoid their injuries. "Stay flamin', man," Leo said to Percy and Frank just gave him a tearful hug.

"It gets better, man," Nico promised when he hugged them.

Hazel and Jason quickly said goodbye. I noticed that every time someone went near Annabeth, even though these demigods were like his family from what Jason told me, he tensed up and looked ready to jump in front of her if he had to.

The other demigods waved goodbye as they walked out of the door. From the look in their eyes, this goodbye was so hard because of the condition Percy and Annabeth were in, and the fact that they were going to fight in a war.

Even once the other demigods were gone, Percy and Annabeth stayed tense. I gently took Percy's hand and led them over to the couch. I sat down next to Paul on the love seat.

"I know you guys don't want to talk about what happened, and I get that. But you do need to talk to us and let us know what we can do."

Percy exchanged a glance with Annabeth, who was leaning against his shoulder. "We just need time," Percy said. His voice was hoarse at first, but as he spoke it started to sound more and more like him. "We saw some things in, well, you know where, and we just need some time."

"Yeah, okay. However much time you need. Annabeth, until you guys are okay, you can stay here, no questions asked."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jackson." Annabeth smiled slightly from here spot against Percy's shoulder and looked so relieved that she didn't have to leave him that Sally instantly knew it was the right choice.

Sally turned on the TV and the four of them spent the rest of the day curled up on the couches watching some hopeless romantic comedy.

The day went smoothly until around 9 o'clock when the demigods decided to get ready for bed. Annabeth took some old clothes of Percy's and went into the bathroom. Percy watched her closely as she hobbled into the bathroom, keeping all her weight off of her injured ankle even though it was in the boot. He followed with his gaze, looking slightly panicked. When he couldn't see her any more he got fidgety glancing at the clock every two seconds and wringing his hands together.

I took one of his hands. "She's okay, Percy. Do you hear that? That's the shower running. She'll be back in less than a half an hour."

Percy still stayed stiff. My heart ached for my baby boy who used to be the most carefree kid in the world.

Percy didn't relax until Annabeth came out the shower twenty minutes later. He cuts and scars looked livid after sitting under the steamy water. Percy hugged her tightly for a second.

"Percy, why don't you go shower too? I'll sit with Annabeth and take care of her cuts," I suggested.

Percy looked torn. He glanced at Annabeth than at me. "Percy, it'll be fine. The doors are locked and all the windows are shut. No one, or nothing, is getting in here, alright?" Paul said from the loveseat.

"Alright," Percy agreed reluctantly. He walked to the bathroom after one last long look at Annabeth.

I took the first aid kit from the table and started absentmindedly dressing Annabeth's cuts just like I have to Percy so many times.

"Thank you, Sally," Annabeth whispered softly. "For everything." I knew she wasn't just talking about today or even letting her stay here, but also for the months that we bonded when Percy was gone.

"I should be thanking you, Annabeth. I would do anything for anyone who makes my son as happy as you do."


	5. Chapter 5

ANNABETH:

It has been three weeks since Annabeth slept through the night. She felt like a new baby, waking up every hour and needing someone to hold her. Not just someone. She needed Percy to hold her.

Every time she woke up screaming, she thought, in the back of her mind, of Sally and Paul who were no doubt awake as well. Annabeth always felt the twinge of guilt. They let her stay with them for almost a month now, and yet every night they woke up to the sound of her screams.

Percy was no better. He would wake up sobbing and shaking, frantically searching for her on the other side of the bed. All Annabeth could do was hold him and whisper in his ear, "I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay," over and over again.

During the day improvements were more noticeable. Paul and Sally wanted Percy to return to Goode after Christmas break if he was up to it. Annabeth wasn't sure what she wanted to do in just over two months when Percy would be returning to school. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would be staying close to him.

That was another thing that changed after Tartarus. Annabeth used to be the strongest, most fiercely independent girl out there. All of a sudden she couldn't leave the room Percy was in without having a panic attack.

These three weeks had been rough for everyone. Percy and Annabeth barely left the house, and when they did it never ended well. For Paul and Sally it must've been like raising babies all over again, the terrible twos and the infant days all rolled into one.

The thing Annabeth missed the most though wasn't her freedom or her sleep or even going out at night with Percy. Annabeth missed her friends.

The last time she saw the other six demigods who were on the quest with her and Percy was three weeks ago when they dropped them off at home. Annabeth knew that they had returned to Camp Half Blood and helped establish peace between the two camps. Annabeth knew that Jason, Frank and Hazel returned to Camp Jupiter with the Romans, and Annabeth knew that Piper took a Pegasus to go see them almost every weekend. Annabeth knew that they were working toward peace and that any demigod was allowed at any camp as long as they didn't cause trouble.

Annabeth also knew that Jason, Frank and Hazel were all visiting Camp Half Blood for the first time since the quest. And lastly, she knew that they wanted to see her and Percy.

Sometimes, ever since she was little, making lists of the things that were certain and true helped Annabeth calm down and think clearly. As much as she wanted to see her friends she worried that they would think her and Percy were perfectly sane and seeable.

They were neither of those things.

Annabeth questioned her sanity more and more as the weeks went by. Did a sane person wake up screaming in the middle of the night? Does a sane person have panic attacks when the slightest shadow moves?

The only person who understands is Percy. And while it might sound bratty and selfish Annabeth didn't want her friends to see her like this. She wanted them to remember her for who she was.

Annabeth had every right to be bratty and selfish.

She just didn't want her friends to see her, their leader, having trouble breathing and shaking uncontrollably and fighting back tears just because of some stupid trigger.

Percy and Annabeth were prepping the salad for Sally while she cooked, when the latest panic attack happened. Sally was going on and on about her new book. It was a good night. They all slept well the night before, and Percy spent the day joking around, almost like his old self again.

Percy was slicing tomatoes. "This book is going to be amazing, Mom. I'm so proud of you."

"Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you. You and Annabeth, my brave little kids."

Percy looked up for a second to smile at his mom. The knife slipped and slit his finger. It wasn't a bad cut, but it seemed to bleed an enormous amount.

Percy cursed, seemingly unaffected by the blood and the memories, and brought his finger up to his mouth to suck on it.

Annabeth's heart raced, and her vision fogged on the outside. The blood, the memories it was all too much.

Annabeth remembered the blooded pooling beneath her fingers. She remembered the desperate note in her voice as she begged him not to leave. "You can't do this, dammit, Percy, you can't do this. You promised me you would never leave me. You promised me!"

Annabeth ripped off another piece of her shirt to press against Percy's stomach. It immediately became soaked. Annabeth's fingers were bright red with his blood. She tried as hard as she could not to cry but a sob racked her body.

"I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I'm so, so sorry"

Annabeth brushed his hair off his forehead. Her fingers left a bright, red line. "It's okay, Percy," she lied. "We're going to be okay."

Now with the blood on his fingers looking just like the blood that was on hers, Annabeth could barely hold in her panic. Percy immediately picked up on it and wrapped his finger in a towel before hugging her.

"Shh, Annabeth, it's okay, I'm okay."

Annabeth shook in his arms for a few minutes, not crying, just shaking. Percy didn't say anything as he rocked her back and forth.

Annabeth pulled away. Sally left the kitchen, and it was just the two of them. "I'm okay," Percy repeated. He held up his finger. The cut stopped bleeding already and Annabeth wanted to laugh because it was just so damn tiny.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just the first time I've seen blood since we got back, and I just panicked."

Percy gave her another long hug. Annabeth realized, as Percy held her, how much she missed her friends. She would IM them later that night she vowed. It was time to get on with her life.

**Thanks for reading and please review! And if you don't mind, check out my other story Aboard the Argo II! Thanks **


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